Can You Put Affiliate Links on a Wordpress Blog? (2024)

Bloggers can make money from their blogs using affiliate marketing, but free blogging services such as WordPress.com have specific rules about commercial blogging, which includes advertising, paid content and affiliate marketing. Keep in mind that WordPress' free blogging server is intended mainly for non-profit use. Before you participate in affiliate marketing, make sure that your blog host permits such activity. If your blog is found to violate its terms of use, your host may suspend or remove your blog.

WordPress Blogs

  1. WordPress is available to bloggers in two forms: a hosted version which you get for free at WordPress.com, and a self-hosted version at WordPress.org that you must install on a separate Web host. The free service, WordPress.com, is mainly for personal or non-profit blogs. Because of this, certain restrictions apply towards affiliate marketing and other forms of advertising in these hosted blogs.

WordPress.com Rules

  1. If your blog is hosted for free on WordPress.com, you may not use it as an affiliate marketing blog. According to WordPress, an affiliate marketing blog is a blog whose primary purpose is to send traffic to affiliate sites, especially multilevel marketing sites (MLM) and get-rich-quick sites. WordPress also prohibits paid content such PayPerPost and paid reviews like ReviewMe. Advertising is not permitted either, unless your blog receives lots of traffic and you agree to split ad revenue with WordPress, or if you upgrade to paid VIP hosting.

Exceptions

  1. WordPress policy states that writing personal reviews of things such as books or movies and then linking those reviews to Amazon is not considered affiliate marketing, nor is linking to the blogger's own eBay items. In a forum post dated January 6, 2010, a WordPress staff member wrote: "... if you have a real blog with real content and real readers, we don't mind the occasional affiliate link to a reputable store... 'real blog' is the key. Staff are willing to cut you some slack [sic] you have a real blog. If you're not sure, contact support and ask..."

    However, this is the exception rather than the rule. On July 28, 2011, in response to another user who wished to participate in affiliate marketing for another website, WordPress staff replied: "...advertising (including affiliate marketing) at WordPress.com is not allowed."

Self-Hosting

  1. WordPress recommends the self-hosted version of its blogging software for those who want to use their blogs for commercial purposes. A WordPress installer comes with a Web hosting service as standard equipment. You can also download the software from WordPress.org. No advertising restrictions exist for self-hosted blogs; you can do what you want as long as it is within the terms of service of your Web host. Running a self-hosted blog gives you more control over your blog; however, you must pay for the Web hosting.

Can You Put Affiliate Links on a Wordpress Blog? (2024)

FAQs

Can you put affiliate links on WordPress blog? ›

Affiliate links are allowed on WordPress.com as long as the primary purpose of your site is to create original content. We do not allow sites that exist primarily to drive traffic to affiliate links.

How do I include affiliate links in a blog post? ›

The best way is to use a widget. You can find widgets specifically for affiliate links, or you can create your own using HTML code. If you want to add an affiliate link manually, you need to copy and paste the link into your blog post.

Do affiliate links count for SEO? ›

Yes, affiliate links are backlinks and they can work for or against you when it comes to SEO. This is because they are a link from one site to your website, and any link that points towards your website is technically a backlink.

How do I promote affiliate products on my blog? ›

Here are nine ideas and platforms for strategic affiliate link promotion:
  1. Insert affiliate links in your blog posts and website.
  2. Embed promotional links in your newsletter and emails.
  3. Market affiliate products on your podcast.
  4. Combine affiliate links with video marketing.
  5. Add affiliate links to your online course.

Does Blogger allow affiliate links? ›

Yes, you can have affiliate links on your Blogger blog, but there are some important guidelines to follow to ensure your blog is approved and compliant with Blogger's terms of service and policies: Content Quality: Your blog should have high-quality, original content that provides value to your readers.

Can I use affiliate links on free WordPress? ›

Yes, You can place affiliate links on your free wordpress blog. There is no restrictions that you can't promote your affiliate links on a free blog as well as you can also promote your referral links using social media(post links to groups, on personal profile or on your business page).

When should I add affiliate links to my blog? ›

After 3–4 months of blogging, when you get 300-500 views for every post, you can start entering affiliate links. Because until then you might have many posts and so your blog might not look like a spam. It would look professional. Simultaneously, visitors might start believing that your content is genuine.

What is the easiest way to promote affiliate links without a blog website? ›

How to do affiliate marketing without a website
  1. Build your social following.
  2. Start an email newsletter.
  3. Guest post to blogs.
  4. Post to forums.
  5. Start a podcast.
  6. Buy paid advertising.
  7. Host an event.
Dec 4, 2023

How long should a blog post be for affiliate marketing? ›

The ideal blog post length is between 1,500 - 2,500 words, with a sweet spot right at 2,450. This length allows you to provide your readers with enough information to be informative and helpful, while also keeping their attention.

How many affiliate links is too many? ›

There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the type of blog post and the regulations of the website you are posting on. However, some website owners suggest that you limit the number of affiliate links in a blog post to two or three.

Can too many links hurt SEO? ›

Search engines will follow these links as well. As they spider or crawl your website, they will move between pages via links. For a healthy on-page SEO strategy, though, you should avoid using too many links on any given page.

Do affiliate links pay per click? ›

Earnings per click (EPC) is an affiliate marketing term that refers to the average amount of money you earn each time someone clicks one of your affiliate links. EPC affiliate marketing is, typically, run through pay-per-click (PPC) ads.

Which blog niche is best for affiliate marketing? ›

Top 15 Best Niches for Affiliate Marketing
  1. Fashion. Fashion is considered a mainstream niche, yet it offers several sub-niches, meaning there are many opportunities for you to explore. ...
  2. Travel. ...
  3. Technology. ...
  4. Education. ...
  5. Gaming. ...
  6. Home Decor. ...
  7. Health and Wellness. ...
  8. Finance.
Mar 18, 2024

Should I have a blog for affiliate marketing? ›

There are many different types of content that you can use in affiliate marketing. One of the most popular is blogs. Setting up a blog is fairly simple, and if you are familiar with the product or niche, you can naturally share your insights and enthusiasm – and that makes for compelling content.

How can I promote affiliate links fast? ›

  1. Embed affiliate links into your blog posts. ...
  2. Include affiliate links in emails and newsletter. ...
  3. Use paid advertising. ...
  4. Add affiliate links to your video descriptions. ...
  5. Promote links on a podcast or webinar. ...
  6. Share affiliate links on social media. ...
  7. Promote your affiliate site on forums. ...
  8. Include affiliate links in an online course.
Mar 12, 2024

How do I add affiliate products in WordPress? ›

Add the Product Affiliate Box to a Page or Post

First, you need to open up a new or existing post from the WordPress admin sidebar. Next, click on the 'Add Block' (+) button at the top left corner to find and add the PL Product Display block to the block editor. After that, click on the 'Add Display' button.

How do I add links to my WordPress blog? ›

In the editor, highlight the text you want to link. Paste the URL directly onto the highlighted text. You can do this by right-clicking and choosing Paste or by using the keyboard shortcut CTRL + V (PC) or CMD + V (Mac). This will automatically create a link.

How do I create an affiliate link for my WordPress site? ›

Just follow these simple steps to create affiliate links in WordPress:
  1. Step 1: Install AffiliateWP. ...
  2. Step 2: Run the Setup Wizard. ...
  3. Step 3: Sign Up Affiliates. ...
  4. Step 4: Empower Affiliates with Custom Link Generator. ...
  5. Step 5: Update Referral Variable Settings.
Jun 21, 2023

How do I add affiliate disclosure to WordPress? ›

To create an affiliate disclosure page, just go to your WordPress backend and navigate to Pages > Add New. From here you can create a longer affiliate notice and tweak the page as you wish. If you'd rather add a smaller notice into your header, footer, or sidebar, again log in to your admin dashboard.

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